Yes, that was part of it. I think the lesson there
is, when you're just acquiring a person, you've got to be very, very
sure of who the person is. [laughs] Need I say more?

Q:

In other words, Time-LIFE Film was nothing compared to what
ultimately was the rights-buying power of HBO--the pre-buying of
films produced by other producers? Is that correct?

Heiskell:

That's correct.

Q:

That's really the big way that Time Inc. was connected to the
movie business.

Heiskell:

Absolutely, absolutely. In fact, as I said, the movie
business even felt that we were practically buying them out, that we
had control over them. It didn't turn out to be true.

Q:

What about any highlights from what was Time-LIFE Books? Why
won't you trace that and what comes to mind?

Heiskell:

Well, I think I said earlier that we had done a few books
that had been very successful, and I was being pressed to get into
the book business. But I was still on LIFE then. Yes. That was
pre-1960. And I said, “If we are going to do it, we've got to do it
with somebody who knows the book business.” And indeed, we found
this fellow, Jerry Hardy, who had been at Doubleday. And I gave him